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Have you ever felt the stresses of the day drain away at the touch of a skilled massage therapist? If that’s a feeling you’ve enjoyed, it might be a career you want to follow up on.

Oakland Community College’s Highland Lakes Campus offers one of the area’s only science-based programs that teaches therapeutic and rehabilitative massage. Not only do students learn a variety of clinical massage techniques, they also learn about anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, diet and exercise, nutrition, psychology and medical terminology. A course in starting and operating a small business helps practitioners interested in working on their own.

While many of OCC’s students enroll fulltime in the Massage Therapy program, others need to attend part-time, and an evening program is geared specifically for those  students with time constraints.

"Graduates of our certificate and degree programs are well trained and sought after. They work in a range of settings, from physical therapy departments in hospitals to salons and spas. Many have their own home-based therapeutic massage businesses," explains Janine McKay who directs OCC’s Massage Therapy program. Students who successfully complete their OCC certificates and degrees are encouraged to sit for national certification testing through he National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.

As in many other health career programs, OC’s Massage Therapy program attracts students of all ages who attend for a variety of reasons. "A lot of our student are already working in health fields as nurses, physical therapists or respiratory therapists, and they’re looking for enhancements to their current education or to expand their job skills. We also have lots of moms who attend classes, because massage therapy is in ideal skill to have and use on a part-time basis."

Fran Parsons came to the program in a slightly roundabout way. Five years ago her husband, who is in the auto industry, was transferred from England to the States, and Fran admits to being bored. During the Arts, Beats and Eats festival in Pontiac a few years ago, she wandered over to the OCC booth "to get one of those holders that keeps cans cool. I decided while I was there to see what courses the college offered." She was intrigued by the Massage Therapy program, feeling it might be a good complement to her bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from the University of Birmingham in England. So she enrolled. Parsons’ fellow students voted her the "Most Outstanding Student," an honor not given every year. One day soon after Fran  completed the OCC program, department chair Janine McKay received a call from the Detroit Shock; they needed a massage therapist for one of their players. And that began Fran’s foray into the world of sports massage. Since then, she’s worked with the Pistons in preseason and continues to work with the Shock, as well as with many area pro basketball and tennis players. She also assists in teaching with OCC’s Massage Therapy program.